Handlyng Synne :: :: University of Virginia Library

An holy man telleþ vs þus,
Men calle hym Ion Crysostomus;
He was a bysshope, and ful gode clerk,
Þat shewe hys bokës of hys werk;
Swych grace of God, grauntede hym was,
At euery tyme þat he song hys masse
Þe holy goste to hym was sent
whan he shulde receyue þe sacrament;
Certeynly, aftyr þe sacrë,
Yn a dowue lyknes he myȝt se,
So whyte and so blesful, and so clere,
whan he vsed vpp-on þe autere.

Of þat cumfort, and þat syȝt,
He þanked oftë God almyȝt.
Þe fendë hadde þarwith enuye,
And wulde shewe hys wykked maystry.

A day seynt Ion shulde synge hys messe,
Þe fende made hym yn womman lyknesse,
weyl atyrede, with mochë pryde,
And stodë ouþer men besyde.

Þe dekene þat serued seynt Ion,
At here turnyng tymes echon
He behelde þys womman weyl,
And hys herte chaunged euery deyl;
Temptacyun of þys womman,
Ouer al yn hys þoȝt hyt ran.

Þe bysshope, aftyr þe sacrë,
Shulde receyue God, as byfyl to be;
As he stode and heylde þe oste,
He loked vp aftyr þe holy goste;
But þat tyme ne come hyt noȝt.
Seynt Ion hadde þarfor grete þoȝt,

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He soght yn hys herte aboute,
But þeryn foundë he no doute
Þat fyl to synne, ne dedly þyng
To lette þe holy gostes comyng.

He called hys dekene to hym bylyue,
And cunseyled hym ‘he shuld hym shryue
Þyf he felt oght hym wyþ-ynne,’
“Any maner of dedly synne
Yn þoght or dede þat þou mayst mene;
Of alle, y pray þe, shryue þe clene.”

Þe dekene þan opunly with mouþe
Shroue hym of allë þat he couþe.
He seyde, “of o þyng y haue gret doute:
Yn þoghtës, whan we turnede aboute,
On a womman myn yȝe ys y-caste;
Þe syȝte of here myn herte to-blaste
And, swal yn my herte so grete,
Þe þoȝt of here ne coude y lete;
But God and ȝow, mercy y crye
Of þat þoȝt and þat folye.”

Þe bysshope seyd hyt was tresun
Of þe fendes temptacyun.
Of þat synne he asoyled hym fre,
And ȝede aȝen to hys degre.

Þe dekene loked at þe nexte turnyng,
She was a-wey, he sagh no þyng;
Þe holy goste come furþe a-none,
And shewed hym to þe bysshope Ione;
And seynt Ioun was þer-of blyþe,
And þanked God ful felë syþe.

For wommens sake, þys tale y tolde,
Þat þey oute of þe chaunsel holde
wyþ here kercheues, þe deuylys sayle,
Elles shal þey go to helle, boþe top and tayle;

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For at hym þey lernë alle
To temptë men yn synne to falle.
To synne þey calle men, alle þat þey may,
why shuld þey ellës make hem so gay?
For no-þyng elles are þey so dyȝt,
But for to blyndë mennës syȝt.
Certes hyt semeþ, at alle endes,
Þat many of hem are but fendes.

And ȝe clerkes nedeþ to be wyse,
Ȝow nedeþ cune ȝow self chastyse;
Ȝe mowë se yn holy wryt
How ȝe shul kepe ȝoure ownë wyt.

whan ȝe at Goddës seruyse are,
Ȝe shul nat þan aboute ȝow stare,
Specyaly wymmen to be-holde,
Ne for to Iangle wurdës bolde.

Clerk with skyl shulde be pryue,
And nat yn cherche of wurdës fre;
Ne dysturble men with hys rage,
For hyt ys called sacrylage.

kepe þy body yn cherche fro synne,
Þy menbrys and þy wyt with-ynne;
Specyally þy þoȝt and þy syȝt,
Þan may þy preyer be made alle ryȝt.

Also hyt ys vyleynye to werche,
A lewed man to plete yn cherche,
lay courte, or elles counte,
Þer any man myȝt dampned be;
Ne quest take of endytëment
yn holy cherche, oþer ȝerde purseynt;
Ne sysours oght nat to enquere
Of felonye, ne of þeftë þere;
Þou þat hym wreyest, þou mayst weyl se
Þou demyst hym with þat ys yn þe.
Ȝyf þou yn cherche dest any of þyse,
Þou trespast aȝens þe fraunchyse.

Ȝyf þou euer hauntedest swych outrage,

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yn holy cherche with wymmen to rage,
Þat so ferfurþ was þy wyl
Þat þy naturë dydë spyl,—
Þere, y sey, þou synnest dedly;
Ȝe, morë þan þou lay here by.
For þus sey þey þat clergy can,
he myȝt betyde slaghter of man;
Also holy wryt hyt forbedes,
with womman to do flesshely dedes;
Yn holy stede, hyt ys grete awe
Þe dede to do, or speke with sawe;
And nam[ë]ly þer men do messe,
Many more folde þe synnë ys.
And, for to fle[en] swych trespas,
Y shal ȝow telle an auenturs kas.